Time

Are you good with timekeeping? 

Are you person A who arrives at least 15 minutes early?  Or person B who arrives bang on time? Or person C who is always running late?

Do you prepare and organise what you need early or leave things to the last minute?

I can be all three!  If I need to be somewhere new I like to arrive early to make sure I know where I am going.  But if I look back over my life, especially when I was younger I was always person C!  And probably still am a lot of the time.

When it comes to our eternal salvation, we don’t really like to think about a life after this one has passed.  We feel that if we are ever going to pray to God and turn to Him then that is something we can leave to the last minute.  That would be a slightly more believable plan if we actually knew when our last minute would be.  Apologies for sounding morbid, but many people do believe that is what our ‘deathbed’ is for, yet how often does someone get that last minute chance?

The truth is, our eternal salvation can start right now, it isn’t some deathbed notion. When we thank Jesus for dying on the cross for us, and ask Jesus to forgive us and invite Him into our hearts and lives, it is a real and living hope that gives us eternal salvation and can equip us to navigate our day to day lives, filling us with joy and peace right now.  Mental health wellbeing is talked about a lot, and rightly so, it is important and affects us all.  All of this mentioned above, the real and living hope, the strength and guidance to navigate our daily lives, the joy and the peace in a world which really lacks joy and peace, all of this increases our positive mental health wellbeing, and all this can start right now, it doesn’t have to be left to the last minute, it can be enjoyed right now.  Now is the time.

In the bible Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says that in life there is a time for everything, one example is “there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” We can agree with that. All these things even the staunchest atheist and sceptic would agree with, it’s common sense.  In 2 Corinthians 6:2 the bible states “now is the day of salvation”.  The time to think about the rest of your life is now.  The time to consider the concept that you need a Saviour is now.  Let us be aware of time and accept the help and salvation that is available to us right now.

Person A may accept this early before it is too late, person B may just think about this right at the time it is needed, and in this scenario I don’t want to be person C.  Our mental wellbeing is important and our lives are important, our eternal life is important.  Please don’t be angered or triggered by this article, it isn’t a pointed finger preach at you, it is a discussion about time and how life passes by so fast.  Let us at least have a think about what we feel is right for us and our future. 

I am going to close with some encouraging verses from the bible.  In Philippians chapter 4 verses 6-9 we read;

“⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”